Locomotive boiler supporting arrangement



Nov. 14, 1939.

0. K. KJOLSETH 2,180,149

LOCOMOTIVE BOILER SUPPORTING ARRANGEMENT Filed July 12, 1938 Fig.1.

Inventor: Ole K. K jo|seth,

by z w is Attorney.

Patented Nov. 14, 1939 'UNlTED STATES LoooMo'rIvE BOILER, SUPPORTINGARRANGEMENT Y Ole K. Kjolseth, Erie,

Pa.,1assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New YorkApplication July 12, 1938, Serial No. 218,784

'7 Claims.

This invention relates to locomotive vehicles and more particularly tomeans for supporting a boiler upon the framework of such a vehicle.

In modern light weight locomotives designed for high speed operation itis desirable that the weight of the power plant equipment be kept at aminimum. In such locomotives compact and selfcontained high pressureboilers are embodied, the walls of which boilers are of relatively lightweight metal determined largely by the internal pressures and stressesresulting therefrom. Accordingly, torsional or warping movements of thevehicle framework as the locomotive passes over uneven roads and otherexternal stresses should be insulated from the boiler so as to minimizethe danger of failure thereof due to external mechanical strains.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved arrangement formounting a boiler upon a locomotive framework so as to minimize thetransmission of warping movements from the framework to the boiler.

For a consideration of what I believe to be novel and my invention,attention is directed to the following description and the claimsappended thereto taken in connection with the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing Fig. l is an ,elevational view, partly in section,

of a locomotive vehicle embodying my invention;

ing between Fig. 2 is a plan view of the vehicle shown in Fig. 1; Figs.3-5 inclusive are detail views of the supporting means for one end ofthe boiler and Fig. 6 is a detail view of the supporting means for theother end of the boiler.

In Figs. 1 and 2 is shown a locomotive vehicle comprising a cabstructure it mounted upon forward andrear driving trucks H and I2respectively. The longitudinal framework it extendthe trucks andsupporting the locomotive apparatus is provided with an opening itbetween the forward and rear driving trucks defined by transverse framemembers 85 and it and side members ll and I8 respectively. The boiler[9, which may be lowered into position through 0 driving trucks.

an opening in the roof, is supported in the opening of the framework,the lower portion of the boiler being adapted to depend downwardly fromthe framework between the forward and rear This method of mounting theboiler is advantageous, not only for securing a more balanced suspensionthereof, but also makes possible the installation of a highly efiicientvertical tube type boiler so as to occupy a minimum of space within thecab and at the same time retain the overall height of the locomotivewithin allowable limits.

According to my invention, I provide a threevpoint suspensionarrangement for supporting the boiler within the frame opening. boileris substantially rigidly secured to the transverse frame member l6 bytwo suitably spaced apart supporting devices 20 while the opposite endof the boiler is supported at a single point upon the second transverse15 by a trunnion arrangement 2|. The devices 20 are preferably spaced aswidely apart as permissible and in such a manner that the weight at thatend of the boiler distributes equally between them. The trunnionarrangement 2| at the opposite end of the boiler is preferably arrangedat the central, point as regards the width of the boiler and so that theweight is substantially balanced on each side thereof.

One of the two similar supporting devices 20 is shown in greater detailin Figs. 3-5 inclusive and comprises a right-angle bracket member 22 thevertical portion 23 of which is secured, as by welds 24, to the end wallof the boiler IS. The cooperating block 25 comprises a base portion 26which is secured as by welds 2'! to the transverse frame member it. Araised block portion 28 is formed on the upper surface of the base 26 asby milling suitable grooves 29 along the opposite upper edges of theseating block. The horizontal foot portion 3E! of the angle bracket 22is vided at the under side with a slot 3! for fitting over the raisedportion 28 of the seating block, the depth of the slot 3i beingsubstantially equal to the height of the raised portion 28. After theboiler is positioned with the feet 30 resting upon the seating blocks25, it may be fastened securelyin position against vertical movements bymeans of screws 32 inserted through the slightly enlarged holes 33provided in the feet and threaded into the aligned bores 34 in theseating block. To relieve the'screws from any shearing stress due torelative horizontal movements between the seating block 25 and thebracket 22 by reason of vibration of the locomotive vehicle or othercauses, I prefer to insert wedges between the adjacent shoulders on theseating block and the foot of the bracket member prior to the tighteningof the screws 32. To enable a wedge of suitable size to be used for thispurposethe slot ti on the under side of the bracket foot 3i) may beformed slightly wider than the width of the raised portion 28 of theseating block and relatively tapered. With the boiler seated and beforethe screws 32 are tight- One end of the frame member proened, thetapered wedge 35 may be driven into the clearance space between theshoulder 36 on the foot of the bracket and the side 31 of the raisedportion 28 of the seating block as shown 5 in Fig. 5. To accommodate asecond wedge 38, the seating block 25 is provided with a portion 39extending upwardly from one end of the base portion 26 forming a taperedslot between it and the end 40 of the foot 30. The wedges are firstdriven only lightly into position so that the holes 33 and 34 will be inconcentric alignment. The screws 32 should then be applied and securelytightened. The wedges may then be driven tight and suitably secured asby tack welding to 5 prevent loosening in service. By this arrangementit is seen that the right end of the boiler upon which these supportingdevices are used is substantially rigidly anchored to the framestructure.

The trunnion supporting arrangement 2| for the left end of the boiler,as shown in detail in Fig. 6, comprises a cylindrical member 45 suitablysecured perpendicularly onto the left end wall of the boiler IS. Thecooperating seating block comprises a lower or base portion 46 suitablysecured, as by welding, to the transverse frame member I5, and a capportion 41 removably secured onto the lower portion by screws 48. A bore49 is provided in the seating block for oo- '30 operatively receivingthe cylindrical member 45.

Shoulders 50 are provided between the base and cap portions so that adesired clearance may be maintained between the member 45 and the wallsof the bore 49. By this trunnion supporting ar rangement it will be seenthat warping movements of the longitudinal frame members i? and I8 andresultant relative rotational movements between the transverse framemembers l5 and I6 may take place without such movements beingtransmitted to the boiler structure. Upon such torsional movementsoccurring, the boiler will follow the movements of the transverse framemember I 6 to which it is rigidly secured at the one end, thecylindrical member 45 pivotally rotating relatively to the seatingblock. Longitudinal movements of the frame occasioning differences inthe separation of the transverse members, and movements due toexpansions of the boiler structure by reason of variations in operatingtemperatures, may take place freely without imposing any strains uponthe boiler structure since the cylindrical member 45 may slidelongitudinally within the bore 49. Relative vertical movements of theboiler IS with respect to the frame member i5, however, are precluded bythe cap portion 48 which retains the cylindrical member 45 upon theseating block at all times.

Auxiliary brackets are provided for supporting the boiler upon thefailure of either of the sup- 60 ports 28 or 2|. As indicated in Figs. 1and 2 a plurality of angle brackets 5| are secured along opposite sidewalls of the boiler. It is understood that these brackets do notnormally rest upon the side frame members I! or l8 but are spaced 65slightly thereabove and rest upon the side members to support the boileronly upon the failure of either of the supporting devices 20 or 2|.

Having described my invention together with the apparatus which I nowconsider to represent 70 the best embodiment thereof, I desire to haveit understood that the apparatus shown is only illustrative and that theinvention may be carried out by other means.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by 7 Letters Patent of theUnited States is:

1. In a locomotive vehicle, a framework for said vehicle, a boiler ofrelatively light weight construction, removable means for rigidlysecuring one end of said boiler to said framework, means for supportingthe opposite end of said boiler upon said framework comprising a restsecured to said framework having an arcuate upper seating surface, theaxis of curvature thereof being parallel to and in vertical alignmentwith the horizontal longitudinal axis of said boiler, a bearing blocksecured to said boiler provided with a lower arcuate surface forcooperatively seating on the upper surface of said rest, removable meansfor movably retaining said bearing block upon said rest whereby twistingand longitudinal movements of said framework relative to said boiler maytake place without stressing said boiler.

2. In a locomotive vehicle, a boiler mounted on the frame of saidvehicle, means for rigidly supporting one end of said boiler on saidframework, means for pivotally supporting the opposite end of saidboiler at a single centrally disposed point upon said framework so as toallow relative torsional and translatory movements between said boilerand said framework without stressing said boiler and means forprecluding relative vertical movements between said boiler and saidframework.

3. In a locomotive vehicle, a boiler mounted on the frame of saidvehicle, means for rigidly supporting one end of said boiler on saidframework, means for pivotally supporting the opposite end of saidboiler at a single centrally disposed point to said framework so as tosubstantially preclude longitudinal and warping stresses due to twistingof the locomotive vehicle framework from being transmitted from saidframework to said boiler structure.

4. In a railway locomotive vehicle having forward and rear drivingtrucks and a longitudinal base framework having an opening between saidtrucks, the combination of a boiler supported in said opening, meansrigidly securing one end of said boiler to one member of said framework,means for supporting the opposite end of said boiler upon a secondmember of said framework so as to allow relative rotational movementsand relative longitudinal movements between said second frame member andsaid boiler.

5. In a railway locomotive vehicle having forward and rear drivingtrucks and a longitudinal framework having an opening between saidtrucks, the combination of a boiler supported in said opening, separablemeans for rigidly securing one end of said boiler to one adjacent framemember, a cylindrical member secured to the opposite end of said boilerextending parallel to and in vertical alignment with the longitudinalhorizontal axis of said boiler, a seating block having a bore forcooperatively receiving said cylindrical member secured onto a secondadjacent frame member.

6. In a locomotive vehicle, forward and rear driving trucks, alongitudinal framework extending between said trucks, an opening in saidframework between said driving trucks, a boiler, said boiler beingmounted in said opening so that the lower portion of said boiler dependsbelow said framework and between said driving trucks, means rigidlysecuring one end of said boiler at two spaced apart points to atransverse member of said framework, means for movably supporting theopposite end of said boiler at a single point upon a second transverseframe member, said last mentioned means comprising a rest semembersecured to said boiler adapted to cooperatively seat on the uppersurface of said rest,

and removable means for retaining said member upon said rest surface. v

'7. In a locomotive vehicle, the combination comprising forward and reardriving trucks, a longitudinal framework extending between said trucks,an opening in said framework between said trucks, a housing onsaidframework, a boiler, said boiler being adapted to be lowered intoposition through an opening in the roof of said housing and mounted insaid framework opening so that the lower portion of said boiler dependsbelow said framework and between said driving trucks, a pair of spacedapart rests on a transverse frame member adjacent one end of saidboiler, brackets secured to the corresponding end of said boiler adaptedto cooperatively seat on said rest and be rigidly and removably securedthereto, a seating block on a transverse frame member adjacent theopposite end of said boiler, a member extending outwardly from thecorresponding end of said boiler and centrally disposed as regards theweight distribution of said boiler adapted to cooperatively seat on saidlast mentioned rest, and removable means for movably retaining saidmember on said last mentioned rest.

OLE K. KJOLSE'I'H.

